Love Amid the Ashes: A Novel

This writer does a super job in bringing biblical history to life. I've read all the books in this series.

A beautiful story of redemption, loss, and love.This is a intriguing read that explores the mystery around the life of Job. Much of the inspiration behind this story comes from the histories hinted at in non-cannon texts and the lore of the time. I loved seeing how it all came together, placing Job as a contemporary of Jacob and Esau, taking into account the patriarch longer life spans and the political repercussions of the familial conflicts and how it affected later generations. So while this book explores things that cannot be 100 percent verified, I think it does a credible job of bringing the story together while also showing due reverence for the material.This story is unique in many ways and Mesu Andrews deftly navigates the terrain, showing Job to be a righteous man, fair master, friend, and faithful husband, encompassing multiple love stories over the course of the book. Nogahla is absolutely delightful, I loved her forthright honesty and genuine concern for others. Dinah is a woman hardened and wisened by her experience, challenged to step out in faith, and I admired her hunger for the word of God. This author is a master of creating characters, writing realistically flawed people, making me come to care for characters that I really didn't want to like as much as I did, while also creating engaging arcs of growth that had me cheering for them.Overall, I loved that this book took risks, but also showed reverence, while also wondering what Job's life and times might have looked like. This is well researched, with compelling characters that are human, flawed, and struggle just like we do. I have read many books by this author and it was amazing to go back to this first book that started it all, as she has become one of my favorites! I'll be honest I had my doubts about how a book about Job would be, but I should have known that Mesu Andrews could pull it off, because this book is beautiful and bittersweet in all the right ways, with a powerful message of God's goodness and how he redeems his people.I bought this book with my own money, opinions expressed are my own.

I have always been fascinated with the story of Job in the Bible. When I learned that a new novel `Love Amid the Ashes' looked at his story, I knew I wanted to add that one to my reading list!Here is the synopsis of this wonderful debut novel:An Epic Story of Love and Forgiveness, Suffering and Restoration. When her beloved grandfather Isaac dies, Dinah must follow his final command: travel to Job's household to marry his son. After Job's world comes crashing down, Dinah finds herself drawn to this great man brought low. What will she risk to fight for his survival?Mesu Andrews weaves an emotional and stirring account of Job and Dinah. Love Amid the Ashes breathes life, romance, and passion into the classic biblical story of suffering and steadfast faith.Here is the biography of this author:Mesu Andrews is a speaker who has devoted herself to passionate and intense study of Scripture. Harnessing her deep understanding and love for God's Word, Andrews brings the biblical world alive for her readers in this debut novel. She lives in Washington.I found this to be an interesting perspective on the Book of Job. Job, as he comes across in the Bible, proves to be a man who loves God and does not blame God for his trials. He continues to love and serve Him.It was also interesting to get a more fleshed-out view of Job's wife, named Sitis here. Mrs. Andrews gave us an explanation of why she cursed God as she did (you will have to read the book to learn what that theory is).Mrs. Andrews is a good writer. Here is a sample, which shows her readers how Job is held by at least one person as a great role model:Her gaze was once again drawn to Job, who just a few nights ago had taught her the love and forgiveness of El Shaddai. Tonight he showed her the sovereignty of Yahweh and that a person's response must always be trust and praise. She wasn't sure that she could accept God's will without question, but she would try to follow Job's example. (p. 108)Mrs. Andrews writes with a descriptive and creative writing style. Here is her description of Job's fleshly afflictions:The torturous searing of his flesh was relentless, surreal. Caught in the hellish divide between consciousness and sweet oblivion, Job prayed for death. He was thrust in and out of miserable awareness like a dirty garment plunged into the river and scrubbed against a rock. First came Sitis's scream, and then he was alone. His next recollections were tinged with the distorted perceptions of darkness, agony, and terror. (p. 180)Obviously, Job's story is familiar to most people. Despite that, Mrs. Andrews shares with her readers a story that brings her imagination and creativity to the fore. I wish her the best in her future novels - which will no doubt come!Available March 2011 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This book was provided by Revell for review purposes.Reviewed by Andrea Schultz - Ponderings by Andrea blog - [...]

This storyline was very different from the first book that I had read about Job, both books were very good, I liked this version better because it made more sense to me as to why Job & his wife lost their family and wealth. Any storyline that brings me to tears is five star for me. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to know more stories in the Bible.

I loved this interpretation of this biblical story, it combines the Story of Job and Dinah the daughter of Jacob. Mesu has done a lot out research in the details of this fascinating take. I guess it is hard to turn the accounts and use them for a bases of a novel strongly based on the truth and include a take that added to give a strong flavour off the times which Mesu openly started in a letter to us readers. So don't expect a deep theological book but a great story that gives it ideas of how life was at the time out Jacob and Esau , out is hard to give a time to Job many put it as before Moses but there is a good argument for him to have lived in this time zone. So i found out great to Take this as a beautiful story of GOD's love and Grace available to us all and a deeper insight into the suffering of Job and the type of life lived in the late times of Genises.I do recommend this as a book for anyone make it female who would love to have a deeper understanding of the times and even better the Love, Grace of Our Abba in Heaven and how He can make all things turn into good, or even better.

Love love love it 💘. The mixture of the biblical proportions and imagined historical fiction was well crafted. 👍👍 👍

I really loved this book. At first I was hesitate. Then I got into it. It’s like reading the book of Job in 3D format. I wish this book could be made into a movie. Thank you to the Author.

Mesu Andrews is one of my favourite authors, with detailed research backing up her wonderful novels. This is a great pull into the culture, environment, and then the personalities involved that it seems like a necessary part of my understanding of that part of the Bible. A satisfying read.

Thank you Mesu Andrew, I 've always wanted to read something about Job apart from the bible, thank God for people like you who took their time to make research, for making me to put myself in the shoes of this character, now when I read about Job it's with a different revelation having placed myself in their situation trusting God all through with a confidence of knowing that whatever situation I find myself is temporary.